Enslaved
by AliceOfMusic
Summary: Max Ride is the girl who was kidnapped at the age of 8 and sold into slavery at the age of 14 to the Martinez family. Fang Martinez is the rich boy who buys Max since he and his family need someone new to toy with. Will Max put up with the constant teasing, jokes, and pranks? Or will she forget all about her developing love for a certain Martinez boy and just run away?
1. Argument

**NEW STORY! It's called Enslaved for reasons in the summary.**

**If you spot any incorrect grammar or spelling in Max's POV, that's there on purpose. You'll see.**

**Disclaimer: I own the plot but not MR.**

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Max POV

"I will _not_ be sold!" I seethed with clenched teeth. Who do these people think they are?

"I'm terribly sorry, Maximum-"

"No, you're not," I cut him off. "If you were 'terribly sorry' then you wouldn't _sell _me!"

"Just hush and listen. You belong to us now; we _own_ you."

"No-" I butt in again.

"Hush! If I hear one more thing come out of your mouth, no dinner and explanation for you." I shut my trap, not wanting to lose food and some sort of reasoning.

"As I was saying, you've been with us for too long. Six _years _too long. Every time someone tried to 'buy' you from us, you were returned the next day with the customers wanting full refund or they would sue us. So today I decided that there were no more choices left. You're going to be sold- on a _final_ sale- whether you like it or not," Jeb said.

He was the one supposedly 'in charge' of me. I completely doubt it, since I do more of the commanding then he does.

"Listen old man, I'm going _nowhere_ near you or your idiots tomorrow. Sayonara, Jeb!" I turned to run for the door but saw it already blocked by two of Jeb's goons. I groaned; did he really want me to start a fight _again_? Last time one of Jeb's guys got in my way, he went straight to the hospital with a black eye, a twisted ankle, a broken wrist, and bites all over his arms and legs. And that was when I was 11, which was three years back.

"Get her," Jeb ordered his goons. They nodded and stepped forward while I stood there cockily.

"Now, are you _sure_ you want them to get hurt again? I can do much worse than I did when I was 11, Ari," I called. Ari was Jeb's son and one of his morons, and he's the one that was sent to the hospital. Ari's 17 years old; so when I whooped his butt, he was 14.

Yeah, I'm awesome.

"Don't just stand there, Ari. Get her!" Jeb commanded harshly. Someone grabbed my shoulders, and I worked quick to elbow the person in the ribs. I dodged a punch that was coming my way silently and ran my foot under the idiot beside Ari to trip him. It worked, and he fell with a thud- completely out cold, too. Wimp.

Only Ari and I were left- excluding Jeb and all, since he was just watching. A smirk spread across my face as Ari's eyes went stone cold. How _exciting_.

I immediately ducked, knowing what was coming. Ari tried to kick my cheekbone and ended up hitting the wall instead. He grabbed his foot, groaning in pain. I took this as a chance to tackle him. When I did, though, he slammed his head on the wall and probably got a major migraine.

"Ugh," Ari groaned and grabbed my wrist to twist it. He kept on twisting and even pinned me down into one of the chairs in front of Jeb's desk. I was struggling like heck; I wanted freedom. I heaved a sigh, I was getting tired of this. My energy was running low, but no adrenaline pumped in my veins. Ari noticed a slight down in my defense and pushed my shoulders down, which was painful.

_Feel the pain. Love the pain. Be one with the pain. Embrace the pain. _I kept chanting in my head. It's something I learned when I did track and when I fought. But after awhile, it was too much so I decided to give in. For now.

_Just wait until tomorrow morning. Get up earlier than them and escape to freedom. _That's my plan.

"I give. Now can I eat?" I sighed tiredly. Jeb put his hand up, signaling for Ari to let go of me. He did but reluctantly.

"Not so tough today, are we?" Ari sneered. Jeb smirked in approval of his comment.

"I'm just hungry. You'll get more fight out of me tomorrow," I glared at him.

"Yes, you may eat now. But immediately after, we leave for Pennsylvania. It'll be a long drive from here, Massachusetts, to Pennsylvania," Jeb reported.

"_What_? _Pennsylvania_? That's, like, an 8 to 10 hour drive!" I screeched. **(AN- I think)**

"Yep, so there's no time to lose. Let's get going. Oh, pack your things quickly. We'll be leaving in about an hour or so," Jeb called while he walked out of his office with Ari following closely behind.

"There goes my plan," I mumbled in disappointment.

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**That's that! And you guys, I am SO SORRY for not updating Devious Deceit and Me or Them! I promise I will this week.**

**Like it? Hate it? Love it? R&R!**


	2. Encore and Bellagio Hall

**Wow, thanks guys! I mean, 10 reviews already! That makes Alice happy :)**

**kEePtHeHeAt, I have no clue what you wrote. 'Ere es korrakas, Mother'? No clue at all; I even used Google translate! It came out as 'It is also korrakas' in Basque...? Google failed me :/**

**To one of the guest reviewers, thanks for the advice. I think I should be better around the details area, too.**

**Disclaimer: Really? Do I _look_ like a James Patterson to you?**

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Max POV

"Maximum, it's dinner time!" Jeb called up the staircase. My room was right at the top of the staircase to the right, so it wasn't hard to hear him. I grumbled audibly as I dragged my feet down the stairs and into the dining room. Something slammed me into the door. Something big, heavy, and furry. Guess who? Ari.

"Dude, I will _kill_ you," I hissed.

"Ha, I'd like to see you _try_," Ari smirked. I clenched my fists and swung at him. He dodged a few but ended up having punches to his head. Ari raised his hand and was about to hit.

"Now, now. Let's not hurt the merchandise. She needs to look new and _not_ injured," Jeb intruded to stop Ari.

"I wouldn't be injured. I would just be covered in Ari's blood," I sneered. Ari lunged for me, growling, but Jeb grabbed Ari's shirt.

"No. I want her to sell, not come back with us," Jeb grunted.

"Whatever." And with that, Ari walked away from me and into the dining room.

"Shall we?" Jeb smiled at me. I ignored him and went ahead.

-Time Skip to After Dinner-

"Maximum, did you pack yet?"

"No, I barely have anything to pack. I've only got a couple o' t-shirts, shorts, underwear, and sneakers," I told him.

"Then let's get going." Jeb ambled away, half expecting me to follow him. I just stood there, stubbornly, until he came back and dragged me with him. He put my backpack along with his and Ari's luggage in the trunk of the car, then stuffed me into the backseat. Ari was driving, surprisingly, and Jeb sat in the passenger seat.

"Headed to Pennsylvania. Start driving," Jeb announced. Ari started the car, and I lied down on the seats to rest.

"I'm napping. Do not disturb," I claimed.

"No promises," Ari snickered. After about ten minutes, he started to swerve the car around and throw me off balance. I _was_ sleeping and landed on the bottom of the car with a thud.

"Quit driving like a drunk fool." Jeb grasped the steering wheel and set the car on a smooth course. "Drive properly, idiot."

I heard Ari murmur an apology, but after that I slipped into a deep sleep again.

-Time Skip of 8 Hours-

"Are we there yet?" I was whining. I constantly awoke every now and then when Ari decided to abruptly stop the car or swerve it around again. Either way, I would end up on the ground when I woke up. I finally woke up an hour ago, and I was starving.

"I'm hungry! I want food," I continued. "Stop by a McDonalds or Wendy's or Burger King or something. Fill my empty, growling stomach." This was fun. I was acting like a big baby, and Ari and Jeb hated it. It annoyed them to no end, which is good. For me.

"We've got a few minutes left. Can you wait until then?" Jeb tried to reason with my consistent whining.

"No! I gotta eat _now_!" I complained. Jeb groaned and put his face in his hands.

"Shut. Up." Ari had the steering wheel in a tight grip.

"Make me." I stuck my tongue out and made that 'mmm' noise just to piss him off.

"Max, I will-"

"Let it go," Jeb interrupted. Ari looked as if he was about to argue back, but he just bit his tongue and stayed quiet.

"I win," I stated. Ari just rolled his eyes in defeat.

-In Pennsylvania-

"Hurry it up or we'll be late," Jeb headed for a building after we got out of the car.

"Where is this place?" Ari inquired.

"It's where I'm gonna be sold," I rolled my eyes. Can he get any stupider?

"I _know_ that, smart-ass," Ari replied. I ignored his comment. Ari shoved me forward; I turned and glared at him.

"Are you picking a fight with me?" he asked.

I shook my head 'no' and retorted, "I'm not the one who shoved the innocent." Ari scoffed with disagreement. Jeb sighed in annoyance, fed up with our constant fighting- whether it was verbal or physical.

"We're here. The Encore Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The most gorgeous hotel I've ever seen. We've got rich customers today, so dress nicely, Maximum," Jeb directed. My eyes widened.

Wow! This is _the_ biggest and best hotel I've ever _seen_. Jeb, Ari, and I strolled through the entrance doors and saw the interior. It was glamorous; everything was shiny and clean and new. The lobby was spacious and beautiful. There were chandeliers that hang from the ceiling with bright lights and crystals. **(AN- I don't know if this is an actual hotel; I made it up- I think. That means everything mentioned is fake.) **

"Reservation for Batchelder, please," Jeb said to the front desk lady.

She started typing on her computer keyboard and glanced at the screen occasionally. "Sir, you have King Suite 9 on the 27th floor. There are 31 floors in the building, so it's not the top floor."

"Thank you. Come on Ari, Maximum. We should get to our suite. Then we're going down to Bellagio Hall to where you'll be sold, Max," Jeb guided us to the elevator as he spoke.

"Yippee," I replied dryly. I was so _not_ excited. We entered the suite, and by golly it was huge! It was really pretty in there. Anyway, afterwards, Jeb took Ari and I to Bellagio Hall.

"C'mere, this is where you'll be sold." Jeb took my wrist and pulled me forward. There was a big ol' stage and curtains and everything. There was also a man and woman, both in their early 30s or so, announcing things.

"It's nice," Ari snorted.

"Let's get on with the auction, shall we?" The man onstage voiced. _Auction_?

"I will not be sold at _auction_! Try getting me onstage, hmm?" I spat out at him and ran away swiftly.

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**Woo! That's the chappie! Yep, not only will Max be sold but at an _auction_ nonetheless. I made the chapter longer for you guys! Don't worry, Fnick's gonna be in the next chapter.**

**Like it? Hate it? Love it? R&R!**


	3. Chase and Sold

**Sorry, it took me forever to update! I was on a stump for awhile...**

**This could be the longest chappie of all since it has chasing Max. Plus the auctioneers' insanely fast speaking.**

**Note: When auctioneer talks, imagine really fast talking. It's more fun that way.**

**Disclaimer: Um, I no own what I no own.**

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Max POV

"Get her!" I heard a yell behind me as I swiftly ran away from Jeb and Ari. I could feel the heavy footsteps of Ari and some other guy, that was following, through vibrations. It was so obvious they were chasing me. To catch me, you gotta be quiet, sneaky, sly, and clever; Jeb said it's was like dealing with a fox.

Throwing Ari off my track is a piece of cake. Frankly, the sole reason is because I'm like a ninja. Invisible, stealthy, all that ninja-like stuff.

I took a quick glance behind me after a while and saw that Ari and some blonde guy kept up with me. They haven't lost sight of me, well not yet. I looked back to the front in time to see that a couple of people were moving some stuff around for the auction; their eyes widened at me and I ran around them just in time. Slightly turning my head to the side, I could see Ari trip over someone's foot in my peripheral vision.

I chuckled a bit and uttered, "That dweeb deserved it."

The blonde guy was still after me, though. I think he was another one of Jeb's goons. I moved quickly and swiftly to dodge some items that were in the way. I even had to slide under two guys who were moving a table. People watched me run away from Blondie, but he was long gone- I lost him back when I slid under the table. I turned around for a second to check if he was still there and slammed into a wall.

Or at least, that's what it felt like. Then I put my hands on it to lift myself off of it when it grabbed my wrists. _What?_

I was starting to panic; someone finally caught me- accident or not, I was caught by a brick wall. But did this wall have feet? My eyes wandered around until a hand cupped my chin and lifted my face upward. The wall was a person. That's even worse; I struggled to escape but it wouldn't let go of me.

"Why're you running around like an idiot?" Mr. Brick Wall asked me.

I rolled my eyes and said, "_Obviously_, I'm running away from someone. And I'm not an idiot." And I started to twist my wrists around to see if I could get loose. The wall-like man tightened his grasp on my wrists and pulled me closer so I could get a clear look of his face.

He had raven tresses and midnight orbs that anyone -man or woman- could get lost while gazing in them. His olive complexion contrasted with my slightly tawny-colored skin.

"Do you have any idea who I am?" he questioned. I narrowed my eyes and shook my head. _Should _I know? I told him that I could really care less about who he is. The guy scoffed in disbelief.

"What? Does _everyone_ know you around here?"

He nodded.

"Well, _newsflash_: I'm not from here. I come from Massachusetts." I struggled a little more again, but this time I stomped on his foot for good measure. He didn't even flinch and just raised his eyebrow.

"You know, lot of girls would be _dying _to be in your spot right now," he spoke.

"Okay, Playboy, what's your name? I'm _dying_ to know," I replied rolling my eyes again.

"Fang. Fang Martinez, miss. How about you?"

"Maximum Ride. Well, nice meeting you, Fang, but I gotta go. See ya," I waved slightly and was about to take off when two hands grabbed my hips.

Fang lifted me up and _slung _me over his shoulder. I huffed in annoyance and pounded at his back constantly with my fists. I could feel a smirk stretch across his face which annoyed me even more. I had enough after, say, 30 seconds. I started to yank his hair backward and made him stumble quite a bit and kicked him in the gut. He doubled over, and I took that as a chance to get out of his tight grip.

"Bye bye!" I waved. I turned to go but saw Blondie again. Is everyone after me today? Is it Catch Max day or something? I saw Blondie make some motions to Ari and I charged off. _Oh_ _crap_ was the only thought on my mind other than _Run._ I panicked for a sec while millions of thoughts flew through my mind. The only one made sense and it was: _Don't let them catch you._

I bustled out of the way of a few girls and headed for the opposite direction of Blondie, Ari, and Fang. I took the chance to take a quick glimpse behind me to see that Blondie and Ari were following me once again. I outwardly groaned as I sprinted again, hastily searching for an exit. Yet, after a few seconds, I was abruptly caught by the legs. In other words, I was tackled by someone.

I twisted my head to face whoever it was that decided to hug my legs together. To my displeasure, it was Blondie. He flashed me a great big smile and had Ari hand him a rope while he kept me in place. Then Blondie tied my wrists together in front of me and led me to Ari and Jeb. I still had a little strength to struggle so I kicked him where the sun doesn't shine.

Blondie choked out and sputtered random noises as he gradually fell to the ground. Ari's hands twitched downward and he had an apprehensive look strewn on his face. Jeb just looked really agitated with my constant hassling and the commotion I caused. Ari hesitantly started to follow me, but he took note of my sagging shoulders; that was a sign of tiredness.

I didn't bother fighting back anymore, I was too exhausted. I let myself get taken away onto the stage, but I planned to get away from the one that buys me.

I felt something burning my wrists and saw that Ari was spinning the rope around causing me a rope burn. I let my foot push his into the floor; Ari's face was contorted with discomfort and pain as he grunted and pushed me forward, making me stumble onto the stage.

The audience was intensely staring at me, as if I had grown wings and was flying around. I fixed my gaze down to my shoes. Some of the people had looks of awe, others of desire- like they _knew_ I'd be a slave, and the rest were just gawking at me. It took me all of my self-control not to yell at everyone for goggling at me; all I did was ignore them.

"Okay," the male auctioneer said. "Next is this girl; her name is Maximum Ride. Her height is easily around 5'10" or so. She is fourteen and only responds to Max, apparently. Let's start the bidding at $500 for her." Five hundred? That's quite a bit of cash they've got there.

The female auctioneer took a deep breath and rambled away. "Five hundred, five hundred, who's got five hundred?"

Almost all of them raised up their bidding number sign things.

"Six? Six hundred, six hundred, six hundred. All right, seven hundred, seven hundred, seven hundred, seven, seven, seven hundred."

By now, about twenty-five people lowered their signs. Cheapskates.

"Eight, eight hundred, eight, eight hundred, eight hundred? Okay, nine? Nine hundred? Who's up for nine hundred?"

Some more signs went down.

"How 'bout a thousand? Thousand, thousand, thousand, thousand. Two thousand, two, two, two, two thousand. Three? Three thousand, three thousand, three, three, three thousand!"

Signs fell even more frequently.

"Anyone got four thousand? Four? Four? Five, five, five, five thousand. Good, good, six thousand now. Six, six, six thousand."

There were no signs up. The lady went up too high.

"Ten thousand!" A voice called from the back of the room. Gasps rang out throughout the area. Ten thousand could buy you three houses around here.

"Sold!" the male auctioneer banged his gavel on the stool beside him. "Sold to the man in black, number 134! Thank you, sir. Please come up here onstage to claim your prize." I growled at the word _prize,_ and the man jumped in surprise. He smiled sheepishly and raised both of his hands in surrender.

A pair of hands gripped my shoulders and spun me around. I faced that person. My eyes broadened, and I sucked in a quick breath.

It was that guy from earlier. What's-his-name.

"Why, hello there. Max, was it? Remember me?" he grinned. "Fang. Fang Martinez. Recall that name?"

"Yes. Of course. I only saw you a while ago when you caught me while I was trying to _escape _and _avoid_ being sold," I snarled.

"That's me," Fang said lightly.

"Unhand me." His hands were still holding my shoulders in a tight grasp. I strained my shoulders away from him- but to no avail. So, like I always do, I kneed him in the gut. Fang faltered, cleared his throat, and flashed me a smirk.

"Feisty. Just the way I like 'em."

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**Whew! _Eleven_ reviews? You guys are awesome!**

**Overexposed- Oh, that makes a _lot_ more sense. Haha.**

**I'll try to update my other stories as soon as I can!**

**Like it? Hate it? Love it? R&R!**


	4. You're Mine

**SO SORRY ABOUT NOT UPDATING! I haven't updated anything for, like, months! I hope this makes up for the delays. I only have one thing to say: Stumps suck.**

**Disclaimer: I didn't own it earlier, so I doubt having it now.**

**Wow, thanks, guys. 22 reviews? You, my dear readers, rock.**

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Fang POV

Her eyes flashed dangerously and her teeth were slightly bared, ready to bite and attack.

"Oh, you'll see how much you'll like the feisty ones- when you wake up in the hospital!" She hissed at me and lunged. I broke out into a run, but was roughly tackled to the ground. My legs were stuck together, completely unwilling to move, and my arms were pinned to the floor.

For a scruffy looking girl, she was quite the muscles. It was difficult to tear my wrists from her grip, and when I did, she punched my face with a mean right hook. I was so sure it left a bruise on my handsome face and was so focused on that, that I didn't realize when she took off. I quickly launched myself after her, hoping that she hadn't gotten very far. My heart was beating and thumping loudly in my ears as adrenaline pumped in my blood. I passed so many things that my vision was starting to get a bit blurred. But then a flash of blonde hair cleared everything up.

I moved my head in all different directions looking for that familiar blonde color again. I did get a glimpse of it, behind me, when I got suddenly kneed in the gut. My breath was knocked out of me, and I fell to my knee. She left a blonde streak in my vision a second before I heard her charge off again. In all my 15 years of life, I've never met someone like her- stubborn, strong, vicious, feisty.

And I couldn't help but like it.

Most of the pain vanished, and I could breathe evenly again. Cautiously, I got back up to my feet and made sure to take in all the details of where I was. I think it was somewhere in the halls of the hotel, but I wasn't so sure. There was some grunting coming from a room down the hall. It had clear glass surrounding it, forming the perimeter around the room. Inside, there was equipment strewn across the floor, exercise machines, weights, and punching bags. The grunting and panting was coming from a girl wearing a tank top and shorts, her tee shirt on the floor with a water bottle and a towel. But it wasn't just any ole regular girl. Noo, it was Max. The blonde girl I've been chasing around.

I was careful not to make any noises as I came in. Max was punching and kicking and attacking the punching bag; I felt bad for it and at the same time glad that it wasn't me she was beating up. I advanced closer to her, slowly and soundlessly, and I was amazed at how breathtaking she looked. Sure, she was sweaty and had a fierce look, but she's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. She was better than those girls who spend hours dolling themselves up, hoping that they would catch my attention somehow. Much, much prettier in every characteristic, sense, and way of hers.

I wondered why she hadn't spotted me yet, considering that the walls in front of her were basically mirrors. So, just for the fun of it, I made a split second decision to scare her a little.

Stupidest decision of my life.

The moment I snuck up on her, she didn't yelp in surprise like I expected her to do. That's what most girls would do, right? Yes, right, but Max didn't react like any of normal girls would have. Instead, she spun around in the millisecond after I tried to scare her and punched me yet again. I ducked in time for her to miss my jaw, my nose, and my eyes, but she landed the blow on the top of my head. And boy did that give me a major migraine.

Right after she did that, her hands flew to her mouth and her eyes widened at the sight of me. I heard her mutter something that sounded like, "Shit. He found me." I straightened my back and replied to her with a look that said 'I sure did.' Max was grabbing all her stuff and was about to run off again, but I blocked her and cornered her onto the wall. To her left and her right were my arms, pinned up against the mirror to ensure that she doesn't escape.

My head leaned in, gradually getting closer to hers. In a matter of seconds, my face was centimeters from hers. Her face flushed and she started fidgeting a bit, like she was uncomfortable. I could feel her breath against mine; her minty breath blew onto my face since she was still panting from her intense workout.

"Trying to get away from me? I bought you, ya know," I mumbled quietly and intensely stared into her eyes. She avoided my line of sight and glanced down at her shoes.

"Yes. Obviously," she whispered. Still the smart aleck, I see.

"Well, it's not working." I chuckled and drew my head back, my arms still locked in place. I was a good few inches taller than Max. I used one of my arms to cup her chin and direct her eyesight back at me. She threw me a glare, which was completely useless for her, if you hadn't noticed what position she was in. I pulled my arms off of the mirror and clutched her hands in mine as I bent down to snag up her stuff- which she dropped when I blocked her.

I flicked her forehead and said, "You're mine now. Whether you like it or not."

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**Soooo, what d'ya think of it? I apologize about the short chapter, but I've got two other stories to work on. I promise I'll try to update quicker next time, and the chapter will be longer. It's probably gonna be about introducing Max to the family and what not.**

**Now to answer some reviews.**

**readingisdabest- Fang is 15, as said in this story. I never did actually mention how old he was, did I?**

**Overexposed- Yeah, I don't mind at all. I just like keeping the cursing to a minimum now. And I realized that 'Ere es korrakas', or however you spell it, came from Percy Jackson.**

**Crazed Fan- Uhm, it's kinda a modern take on the slavery days. So you can imagine it to be around the 1800s or so. But in America, so maybe 1900s? I haven't exactly decided on the exact year(s) it takes place in, so this is the best answer I can give ya. In this time period, I decided that 10,000 dollars would be quite a lot of dough. And no, I won't be doing lemon because frankly, I don't know what it is. I did ask some other authors in PMs, and they told me it was mature material. So no, I'm only 14 and I haven't experienced that stuff. Plus it's too early for me to know how to describe it- in my honest opinion. Fang isn't that type of character in my story. So sorry about the long wait for the update.**

**Mallory6752- It kind of is, so it's pretty much a secret. But the rare thing about it is that they usually don't sell female 'white' slaves.**

**everlastingwolflove- Fang bought her for totally, completely innocent purposes. For now, at least. Later on he might get a little perverted.**

**Have you guys heard Ronan by Taylor Swift? Every time I hear it, it brings tears to my eyes. It's such a sad song but it's beautiful at the same time. And I love how the money she makes on iTunes for this song goes to charity for cancer.**

**Like it? Hate it? Love it? R&R!**


	5. Meeting Iggy & Nudge

**What up you guys? I'm so insanely sorry about the delay on this chapter and on my other 3 stories. It's almost been a month since I last updated. I've been experiencing some writer's block and I've got a lot of stuff on my hands. And 17 reviews, guys! Love yew!**

**MPHknows- Don't worry, I've got some solid background info coming up in some later chapters. And yes, I agree with your difference; I've really got to work on my action writing skills. But thank you for the criticism! I really appreciate it.**

**DISCLAIMER: Nope, sorry, no.**

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Max POV

_"You're mine. Whether you like it or not."_

It just kept on constantly replaying in my head. I couldn't get the thought of Fang and him almost kissing me -maybe- out of my mind.

But what am I thinking? I just met the guy. Can't fall in love with him, not just yet anyway. _Where'd that come from?_

Currently, I'm 'packing' up my things from the hotel room. Fang demanded that I leave immediately with him as soon as we left the gym room. Jeb heard him, and before I could argue, agreed that I should go. I finished rather quickly and thought about making a break for it. My gut said no, but my head said yes; my heart didn't have a say in this. I grabbed my little backpack and put it over my shoulder. Twisting the doorknob, I poked my head through the crack, looked around and saw no one and ran for it.

I heard swift footsteps behind me when I got to the elevators. I muttered a few curses and waited 5 seconds for the elevator to come, but when it didn't I raced toward to where I knew the stairs were. Those feet were following me softly and quietly, almost as if that person was cautiously tracking me like I was their prey- which, of course, I probably was.

I stopped and jumped over the staircase railing to the floor underneath. I saw a corner where it would be a blind eye hiding spot for me from my chaser. I heard the chaser skip steps coming down and _he_ stopped abruptly. Yep, my 'stalker' was a man. That made this even more so despicable. I observed him; he had midnight black hair and endless pools of dark eyes- wait a minute. Black hair? Dark eyes? A man? I narrowed my eyes.

_Fang_.

He was the one who stalked me around. I rolled my eyes and heaved a silent sigh that wasn't so silent. Fang spun around and caught my gaze. He strode forward and, as I turned to run again, grabbed me by the waist and hauled me over his shoulder. Again. I pounded my fists against his back and demanded that he let me down and let go of me.

"Hey! Lemme down!"

"No." Pound. Pound. "Ow."

"Leggo o' me, ya brute!"

"Yeah, sure, okay, whatever."

He dropped me and I landed on my feet. "Ya shoulda listen' to me earlier so I didn' have to pound on your dang back so hard. Golly."

"Ah, your accent's showing now?"

My eyes widened. How'd he know about the accent?

"I dunno what you're talkin' 'bout."

"That accent that you have. Jeb told me you were raised in the countryside. Not educated, too. Not like I didn't know already," he muttered the last sentence.

I narrowed my eyes this time and said, "Well so_rry_ for being kidnapped at a young age- the age before getting admitted into an elementary school."

"Oh. Sorry 'bout that." He seemed to look like he regretted even saying that. "I shoud've thought that out more."

"That's what everybody says," I hissed. "I don't want your _pity_. 'Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that'. Blah blah. Yer all the same, you city folk. Conceited, arrogant, snotty, bratty rich kids! All yew have ta do to get money 'round here is ask your mommies and daddies fer it. I bet you've never worked a dang day in yer life! And you think you have the nerve to just _buy_ me? Well, sir, hate to burst yer bubble but-"

Fang slammed his fist into the wall behind me, aiming right next to my face. "Don't talk as if you know everything, street rat," he glowered.

"Street rat?! For yer infermation, I've never been on the streets. Now good day to you, sir!" I screeched; I turned and was about to stomp away when his hand grasped me wrist, pulling me back into his chest.

He took a deep breath that was supposed to calm him down. "Look, let's just forget all this that just happened. And you can meet your new family, okay?" Fang muttered lowly. I blushed slightly, nodded, and turned my head away so he couldn't see the pink on my cheeks.

"Woo! Fangie's getting some, Nudge!" Someone whistled. Fang and I jumped apart and I could see that his face was a little flushed.

"Iggy, hush! Now go ask them politely to come to the car," a female voice reprimanded this 'Iggy' person. 'Iggy' grumbled something and came into my line of view. He was tall, thin, and had light hued skin. A strawberry blonde mop of hair was on the top of his head, stylishly messy, and ultramarine blue eyes looked straight into mine.

"Heya, miss. The name is Iggy Martinez, pleased to make your acquaintance, and I am at your service- your wish is my command, _mademoiselle_," he bowed slightly and stuck out his hand.

I was about to shake it, but Fang pushed Iggy's hand out of the way. "Oi, that was rude. Apologi-"

"This is Maximum Ride. She's our new 'maid'," he said to Iggy then turned to me. "You shouldn't shake his hand because you don't know where it's been. For all you know, he could've been making a bomb before coming here and had toxic all over his hands."

"I did," Iggy grinned. "But there's nothing foul on my hands, Fang. And there's nothing wrong with shaking my hands. It's the polite thing to do. And I washed this time."

"Congratulations."

Iggy turned his gaze to me. "Well, let's getcha all comfy and cozy in our car. We've got one heck of a drive ahead. About 3 hours to our house." He walked on ahead, completely expecting us to follow.

Fang chuckled and stuffed his hands into his pants pockets. "Let's get going. Don't wanna keep him waiting, do you? You've never seen him impatient; it's quite an amusing show to watch."

"No," I shook my head. "I happen to like him. He's actually tried to be polite, and I appreciate it. And he has a sense of humor that isn't twisted."

"You haven't seen it yet," I heard him mutter before he passed me, brushing my shoulder. I shrugged it off and went after him.

Outside, there was a nice dark grey car that I didn't know the brand name of. In front of it was Iggy and a dark-skinned girl who was waving her arms frantically, desperately trying to catch my attention.

She ran up to me. "Hi there, sweetie! I'm Nudge Martinez, Fang's cousin. How ya doing? Well, I'm doing great actually! Now, I'm gonna take it that you already met Iggy over there. He's Fang's brother. We're all around the same age, except I'm two years younger than the boys but just one year younger than you. Oh em gee, I can't wait for you to meet Angel, Gazzy, Ella, Dr. M, Total, and Akila-"

"Nudge, breathe! You're overwhelming her. She doesn't know that you can ramble that much. I forgot to warn her," Iggy cut in.

"Right. Sorry about that Max. I always do that and it kinda freaks some kids out. I'm 'Motormouth Nudge' and I can make the sanest person in the world go crazy!" Nudge flashed me a big, bright smile and stuck out her hand.

"Ha ha, I'm Max, as you already know. I'm okay. Who's Angel, Gazzy, Ella, Dr. M, Total, and Akila?" I asked. Iggy dramatically gasped and gaped at me.

"She. SMILED!" He yelled, pulling me into a hug.

I pushed him away and grinned. "Don't get all sappy on me here. So, where're we goin'?"

"New York. Now get in the car! I call shotgun!" Iggy raced past me.

"I'll be in the back with Max! You drive, Fang," Nudge said and dragged me with her to the backseats. Fang trudged behind us.

"Okay, so who's ready to go home?" Fang asked as he slid into the driver's seat.

"ME!" Both Iggy and Nudge yelled and shot their hands up.

This is gonna be one _long_ ride.

* * *

**Kay, you guys. How'd you like that? Do you forgive me for not updating? I'll try to update even faster this time and not take, like, a month.**

**Like it? Hate it? Love it? R&R! :)**


	6. Car Ride Home

**Hiya! OHMYGOSH, my birthday's today! Thought I'd update this story on this special occasion, ya know- just because I love y'all. Eleven reviews, wow, thanks!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own MR, but I hope I get to for a present :)**

* * *

Iggy POV

Max was real shy during the ride home.

Like, every time I tried to talk to her, she would glare and look out the window. No one payed any attention to Nudge's rambles but parts of it I _did_ catch.

"Wow, Max, you kinda look like Iggy and my adoptive cousin, Ella, and her mom. I mean, I was the adopted one, me and Fang, but still. Ella and Dr. M, her mom, had lots of money after their veterinary business took off. And Iggy was Dr. M's nephew, along with his two sisters and brother. One sister and brother are younger than him, and he's always- and I mean _always_- watching after them. He had an older sister, but he wouldn't tell me her name or what happened to her. I think he's forgotten her name and what she might look like, since she disappeared when she was about eight. And, well, I-"

"Shut it, Nudge! You don't need to be tellin' her my whole history, ya know? I can tell her myself, thanks very much, when I dang wanna! So just close your trap!" I snapped, angry at the fact that she mentioned my older-by-a-year sister. She woulda been 14 now, since I was 13.

Nudge whimpered a little and shrunk down in her seat. Max threw a glare at me. "You don't gotta be so harsh about it. From looks of it, she couldn't stop herself even if she wanted to."

I sighed. "I-I know. Sorry 'bout that, Nudge. I didn't mean to snap at ya. It's just that, well, Max don't need to know about it yet. I kinda wanted to tell her myself."

"It's okay, Ig. I know you didn't mean it. But ya gave me a mini heart attack when you yelled. You almost never do. I musta struck a nerve or something." Nudge nodded. I nodded and muttered that she did strike one- one real deep in my heart.

I never did try to forget about my sister. I couldn't, what with my younger siblings asking about her every now and then. After she disappeared, my aunt and cousin took me and the young ones in. They adopted us, even though they were still heartbroken over what happened to my sister.

I thought back to something that Nudge had said. Max did kinda look like me- excluding her hair and eye color. I mean, all of my siblings were blonde, sure. So was Max. But she was a different kind of blonde; she had light brown hair with natural blonde and red streaks in it. I was a strawberry blonde, and Angel and Gazzy both had light blonde hair. And our eyes were ultramarine blue, whereas Max's were a warm chocolate brown.

Slightly awkward silence filled the area.

"So," Max cleared her throat, "Where're we goin'? You never actually told me where this house of yours was."

Fang was the one who answered, surprisingly. "Arizona."

"_What_?" I swear, Max's mouth _dropped_ open. "That's across the continent!"

Fang just shrugged, and Max huffed and continued to glare out the window. I tried to hide my laughter. Those two are just so... _interesting_ together.

* * *

A few hours later, we took a pit stop. I glanced over at Max, who had her head leaning against the window. Since she would get a crick in her neck, I gave her my jacket to use as a pillow. I put it under her head, and when she wiggled a little bit, I froze with my arms above her head. Then she cuddled up into the jacket and sighed contently.

_She almost seems sweet and innocent_, I mused to myself. I turned back around to exit the car and jumped a bit. Fang and Nudge were both staring at me; one was smiling, one was kind of... glaring(?) His eyes narrowed slightly more. Yep, definitely glaring. Then, when Nudge most likely reprimanded him, he stopped and went inside the station. She shrugged and mouthed a "Sorry" and followed after him.

I looked back at Max and sighed. She's already getting to Fang, so much he's jealous of this. Shaking my head, I got out of the car, closed the door, and locked it.

When I was inside the station, Fang and Nudge were already buying some snacks for the road. I grabbed some for myself and some that my older sister would've liked to eat, hoping that maybe Max'll like them too. After we purchased our food, we went back outside and saw that Max had woken up. Well, she was half-awake and squirming in her chair. Quietly, we unlocked the doors and loaded into the car and drove off.

* * *

Max woke up. Surprisingly, she was really quiet and payed no attention to Fang. She only spoke when spoken to, if the person who spoke was Nudge or me. She didn't look directly into our eyes, completely avoiding eye contact. It reminded me of how a _real_ slave should act, except Max still had a burning fire in her eyes- like she was working on a plan to escape.

I hope she wasn't. I really liked this one.

No, no! Not in _that_ way. It's just that she's the one girl that hasn't tried to flirt with Fang, one girl that wasn't part of our family and didn't seem to want him in any way.

"Hey, Max," I said. "Are ya hungry? We stopped earlier and I grabbed some food. Want some?"

She gazed up from the window and started to shake her head when a small rumbling sound was heard. Then she had a pink tint in her cheeks and she nodded. "Yeah, thanks."

I handed her a bag of salt and vinegar chips and a SoBe drink.

Her eyes widened when she asked, "How'd you know these were my favorites? You're not stalking me are you?" She ended with a mock suspicious look in her eyes and a chuckle.

I fake gasped and put a hand over my heart. "How'd you know? Now I'll have to eliminate you." I looked straight into Max's eyes for the first time in the car, and we heartily laughed.

"Stop being such an idiot, Ig," Nudge rolled her eyes. "But I congratulate you on getting Max to laugh."

Immediately, Max stopped laughing and put a hand over her mouth.

"Great job, Nudge. I got her to laugh and you got her to stop," I said. Nudge sighed dejectedly.

"Sorry," muttered Max. Her eyes were downcast and avoided ours. Again.

"It's okay! Ig's just being a jerk," Nudge teased.

A new voice joined the conversation. "Like Max isn't one?" Fang scoffed.

"Excuse me?" Max's head shot back up and she was glaring at Fang.

"Don't act dumb. You've been ignoring me the whole ride," Fang sneered. Max just rolled her eyes and didn't answer him. And Fang went back to facing the front.

* * *

Finally, we were home.

"Woo hoo! We're almost there, Max! You'll _love_ it! Promise," Nudge squealed. Max stared at her and nodded with a small smile.

"I'm sure I will," Max said. I couldn't tell if she meant that honestly or if she was just trying to make Nudge happy. Either way, it worked.

"Yay! You'll probably get the room across from mine and next to Angel's and diagonally across from Ella's. Don't worry, they're both real sweethearts. You'll like them. Fang, Gazzy, and Iggy have rooms on the other side of our house so you won't have to worry about them being perverted or anything. But then again, Gazzy's only nine so he won't be a problem. He's usually in Angel's room, playing with her. Such a nice big brother," Nudge said. Max paused for a few seconds and nodded again after absorbing the information.

"And... We're here!" I cheered. We pulled up into the driveway of a huge, beautiful house. There were four figures in front of the front door; all four were waving at us. I opened the door as soon as the car stopped and helped Max out.

I was tackled by two little blonde children. "Iggy! You're back!" They hugged me tightly and wouldn't let go. When they did pull away, they looked up and asked, "Who's that?" while pointing at Max.

Said girl gasped and clamped a hand over her mouth. "Ange? Gaz?" she whispered it so quietly, I almost strained to hear it.

My younger siblings' eyes widened. "Max? How'd you find her, Ig?!"

"Wait, wait, wait. Do you already know her?" Nudge asked.

* * *

**Whew! That's the chap! Haha, there's a teeny tiny cliff. Max is getting discovered pretty quickly. This story is gonna be a fast paced one.**

**eternalreader62- lol, I thought it'd be really funny, too.**

**Skatzaa- Well, it's because Nudge and Iggy aren't as reserved or closed off as Fang. But don't worry, he starts to kinda stop with the treatment some chapters later.**

**MPHknows- Haha, I know it sounds like 'yoeur', but it's so awkward to type that every time Max said 'your'. I live in southern Alabama, and my friends use that pronunciation above a lot.**

**Like it? Hate it? Love it? R&R!**

**P.S. I already have two new ideas for two new fanfictions! But first, I have to finish at least two of my current stories. So help me out with some reviews!**

**P.P.S. I think I'll be updating Me or Them next. And then Devious Deceit. And then Counterfeit Model. Kay? Mmkay :)**


	7. Collapse

**Author's Note: **Hiya, guys! If you're freaking out about the last chapter, don't worry. Dr. M's to the rescue. Just wanted to clear that up, haha. WE'RE SO CLOSE TO 100 REVIEWS! MAKE ME PROUD! :D

**DISCLAIMER: **Sorry, I don't own Maximum Ride. If I did, _Nevermore_ would've been _pretty_ different.

* * *

**Enslaved**

**Chapter 7: Collapse**

**Iggy POV**

Max hesitated to answer, almost seeming as if she was arguing with herself on how to answer Nudge's question.

"How could they know her already? They just met, silly Nudge. Nice to meet you, Max. I'm Dr. Valencia Martinez. Feel free to call me Val, okay?" Dr. M popped up behind Angel and Gazzy and introduced herself.

"Ah, you're right. What am I thinking? Sorry, it must've slipped out." Nudge bowed her head slightly, a sign of her apologetics.

"Excuse me for a second." Dr. M pulled Angel and Gazzy away, probably to scold them about something, but I followed them after telling the others to wait there for a second.

She bent down to the kids' level and looked them straight in the eyes. "Sweethearts, what did I tell you? You can't go around accusing every new maid of being your sister, alright?"

"But- but that really _was_ her, Auntie!" Gazzy protested. Angel nodded in agreement.

"No, sweetie. This is for your _safety_. Forget the fact that you think that Max is your sister. She's _not_, okay? I'll explain why when you get older," Dr. M said.

"Auntie," Angel whimpered.

"No, darling. Listen to me, okay? This is to_ keep you safe_. Understand? Please," Dr. M begged. Angel and Gazzy nodded slowly. Dr. M smiled a thank you and let my younger siblings go back to where the others were. I stayed hidden and listened to her mutter to herself.

"What if _he_ comes back? No, no, no, he can't. That'd be a disaster. I might lose her again. T-that, no, no, no," she whispered to herself. Then she looked up at the ceiling and put her hands together. "_Please_, don't let that happen. _Please_."

I'm positive I saw my aunt cry. I turned to go back when I heard, "Iggy, don't tell them. I know you're there. Don't tell your siblings. Please." I froze and looked back to see my aunt staring straight at my hiding spot.

"Okay, Aunt Val. You have my word. Do you want me to tell them that you're...?" I replied.

She sniffed and wiped her tears away with her fingers. "Yes, dear. I'll be out soon." I nodded and went back to the others.

"So, Max, how'd ya know that they were Angel and Gazzy?" Nudge interrogated.

Max replied, "Well, obviously, you said that they were both Iggy's younger siblings. You said that Gazzy was only nine years old. And so far, they're the only kids I've seen near your house."

"That makes sense," Nudge agreed. "But then how'd they know your name? Care to enlighten me on that?"

"Oh," I interrupted, "I told Dr. M Max's name before we got here. I made the call when I went to the bathroom at the station. Did I not mention that?"

"No," Nudge sniffed. "Whatever. Anyways, Max, this is Ella Martinez. She's Iggy's cousin, and she's only twelve. Cute, isn't she? I'm the same age as her, so it's like we're sisters!"

"Cool. Nice to meet'cha, Ella. I'm Max," Max introduced herself to Ella. Ella shook Max's outstretched hand and said, "Likewise."

Nudge tugged on Max's shirt sleeve. "Ella and I'll show you to your room, okay? The boys can lug your luggage around. Ha ha, see what I did there? Anyways, Angel and Gazzy have the rooms on the second floor, along with Dr. M. My room and Ella's are jointed together on the second floor, too. Sorry, but your room has to be on the third floor with Fang and Iggy. Ugh, sometimes boys disgust me. You shoulda been here that one time Gaz and Ig were having a _belching_ contest. It was _revolting_..."

I saw Ella hand Max a cold glass of lemonade that one of our other maids, Lissa, had made for Max. Max sniffed it suspiciously and swallowed it down. I think I had a glimpse of a ghost of a smirk on Lissa's face. I shrugged it off, thinking it was my imagination.

Nudge continued to ramble while Fang and I grabbed Max's suitcases. Funny enough, she only had one suitcase and one backpack. I cast Fang a curious glance and he shrugged. He didn't know why she had so little either.

Together, we trudged up the staircase to the third floor and saw Max staring at the bedroom right in between Fang's and mine.

She seemed to be in a trance of some sort. She wasn't blinking or anything. I was afraid that she might not have been breathing either. How silly, right?

Wrong.

Max crumpled down to the floor. Fang and I dropped her things and raced to her. Gazzy and Nudge caught her before her head banged against the floor. Max was pale, and she was panting and gasping for air.

"Call for the doctor! Hurry!" Angel screamed.

* * *

**Author's Note: **You guys like? Hope so. Sorry about the little cliffhanger there. Ha ha. Merry Christmas; a little present for you readers! Here's a tiny sneak peek at my new Percy Jackson fiction, _Shy Boy!_

**Story Summary:** _It was just a bet, a dare, a game. She didn't mean for him to get hurt. Hell, she didn't think he'd actually fall for her. She knew she should have listened to Thalia when she told her not to play this dangerous game. Too bad she didn't listen. Now, poor Percy was broken up beyond repair and so many of his friends hated her for it. She didn't mean to. "I can't believe this, Annabeth! Was this all just a big joke? You were playing me this whole time!" _

**Side Note: **Would you guys read it? Is it overly dramatic? Let me know!

**P. S. **Can I get 100 reviews for my present? Please?

Like it? Hate it? Love it? R&R!


	8. Mistress

**Author's Note: **Yay! We passed 100 reviews, you guys! Thanks so much! That really made my day when I saw that I had 108!

**CONGRATULATIONS TO MY 100TH REVIEWER: Omypineapple. awesome :D I grant you a magical cookie that gives you permission to sneak peek at Chapter 9. . . When I'm partly done typing it up, ha ha.**

**Side Note: **So a lot of my reviewers are asking what happened to Max and what the fudge Lissa did to her. Ha ha, you'll see. . .

**Disclaimer: **I no own. JP own. Me? No.

* * *

**Enslaved**

**Chapter 8: Mistress**

**Ella POV**

Oh my gosh! What happened to Max? She was just fine a second ago but then she just collapsed! Was it something she ate? Or was it- Wait!

I gasped. "Lissa!"

She ran up beside me. "Yes, Miss Ella? What can I get you?"

"You," I growled. "You did this, didn't you?"

"Miss, I don't know what you're talking about," she blinked her aqua eyes innocently.

"Don't give me that," I snarled. "You did this to our new guest. I know of it. It was definitely something in that glass of lemonade you gave her to drink."

"Ella!" my mother snapped. "That's a very serious accusation! You know that Lissa's been one of our most faithful maids."

"Yeah," I grumbled. "Only because we have Fang and Iggy in the house. And once Gazzy grows up, he'll be one on them too."

My mother seemed to get angrier at my comment. "Ella! I don't know what's gotten into you lately but-"

"Nothing's gotten into me! Can't you see that Lissa's only here because of those three boys? She wants to date one, marry one even, just because they're good looking and have a fortune behind them! She must be jealous of Max because Max is_ more beautiful than her and has a heart of gold! _She's just _jealous_ of Max!" I screamed in frustration. I love my mom, don't get me wrong, but sometimes I just want to pull my hair out.

Lissa's eyes glinted with a flash. "If you want to blame anyone, blame the Mistress. She ordered this as soon as she saw Maximum with Master Fang and Master Iggy. _She's_ the one who's jealous. I'm just her chess piece! I'd like to survive when-"

One of our other maids, JJ, slapped a hand over Lissa's mouth. She hissed into Lissa's ear, "This is an order from the Mistress. No matter what, we cannot tell the Martinez's about Mission X. Got that?"

Lissa nodded slowly in fear. My mother was confused about what JJ might have said, but I had insanely sensitive hearing. I could hear anything and everything as long as I was close enough.

Quickly, Lissa backtracked to her previous comment. "I'm very sorry for being impudent, misses. I shall be on my way." Before I could say anything, she turned on her heel and followed JJ upstairs.

_Who's the Mistress?_ I furrowed my eyebrows together. As I thought, my eyes trailed down to the ground and back up, making its way around to examine the room. They fell upon Max, who was now resting in Fang's lap, as Iggy tried his best to heal her. He was the best healer in our family, funny enough.

I rushed forward to her and stopped right beside Nudge, who had started to tear up.

"Goodness gracious! What's wrong with Max? Is she okay? Oh my god, is this my fault? I wonder if she ate anything funny back at the station. I'd hate myself forever for doing that! I cannot believe-" Nudge was frantically whispering to herself. She rubbed her eyes distressingly and bit her bottom lip in frustration.

"Nudge," I laid a comforting hand on her back and rubbed it in soothing circles. "She'll be fine. Iggy's healing her, and the hospital people are on their way." I leaned in closer to her and whispered, "Personally, I think it was Lissa."

Nudge's head snapped up, and she looked at me with wide eyes. "Lissa?" She whispered, seeming to not believe me.

I nodded in confirmation and continued, "Lissa. Remember that glass of lemonade she handed to Max? I think she must've put some kind of poison in it. Not a really strong one that'll kill her, but one that'll cause her lots of pain."

"I cannot believe Lissa," Nudge growled. "Max hasn't done anything to her!"

"Me either. But we can deal with her later. Right now, Max needs us," I said. Nudge nodded, and both of us kneeled down to be beside Fang, Max, and Iggy.

"How is she?"

Iggy looked up at us with concern in his eyes. "We're lucky she's not dead." I sucked in a deep breath. _When I get to Lissa..._

"Whoever tried to poison her almost gave her an over dosage. A few more milliliters, and Max would've have a painful death. I think a few milliliters of strychnine was mixed into, maybe, a teaspoon of methanol. The strychnine caused her to stiffen up, but thankfully it's only a little bit. Any more of it would've made her die," he continued.

"Can one of you bring me that glass Max drank out of?" Iggy asked.

"I'll get it." Gazzy raced back downstairs to get. After a minute, he came back up with a cup in his hand.

"Here," he said as the cup slipped into Iggy's hand. Iggy slowly raised the glass to his face. I thought he was about to take a sip and nearly yelled "No!" But all he did was sniff it. Then he nodded as if he understood something now.

"The methanol in this probably gave her fatigue, headache, dizziness, and a second of blindness. The blindness made her vision to blacken out for a second before she collapsed," Iggy explained.

My mom ran in just at that moment. "The ambulence is on its way."

_Thump! _

Nudge gasped. Gazzy and I had looked up at my mother. Nudge glanced up at her for a second before staring back down at Max again.

_Thump! _

Max's legs and arms twitched. Her foot moved from the left to the right, each time hitting the floor and causing the loud thumps.

"Wha-what's happening to her?" I breathed out. I reached out to help her, and I noticed that Fang's grip around her waist tightened.

Iggy lifted up his hand and stopped me. "Don't worry-"

"Don't worry? Are you kidding me? Max just _twitched_ and you're telling me not to _worry_?" I shrieked with frustration.

"It's an effect from the strychnine," Iggy sighed. "This is supposed to happen. As long as she gets treated before two hours are up, she'll be fine. Usually, if there was more strychnine than methanol in the drink, her arms and legs would spasm until her whole body is arched."

I winced. "Ouch."

"Yeah, _ouch_."

Red lights shone through our windows. The blaring of the sirens echoed off the walls.

"They're here!" Gazzy jumped up to go open the door with Mom following closely behind him. I watched as Iggy lifted Max up and carried her in his arms while Fang got off his butt. Fang then took Max from Iggy, and both boys descended downstairs. Nudge and I stood up, held hands to comfort each other, and ran after them.

_I'm still suspicious of Lissa. _

* * *

**Author's Note: **You like? I think the next chapter will be of Max in the hospital. Ha ha, I updated pretty quickly this time, eh? My 'I'm-on-a-roll' phase thing only lasted for, like, two days. LOL. Hopefully, I can post some more chapters before I start procrastinating again.

Like it? Love it? Hate it? R&R!


	9. ER

**Author's Note: **I'm updating! Your lives have automatically become better. LOL. No, I'm not dead haha. I was actually banned from the computer - all computers - for two weeks. And then I couldn't remember how I was gonna finish this chapter.

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own MR. Warning: If you say you do, she may maul you.

**P.S. **Check out my little side-story for when I'm in a stump! _**The Oneshot Package! **_Lame title, I know.

* * *

**Enslaved**

**Chapter 9: ER**

* * *

**NUDGE **

I watched with wide eyes as Max was lifted away by the boys. I felt Ella give me a soft tug to go follow Gazzy. He had run ahead of us, trailing right behind Fang and Iggy. I think they took turns carrying her, since she was now in Iggy's embrace.

Lucky girl.

Uh, delete that! _No_, I don't have a teensy tiny crush on the Iggster. Except that he has those pretty blue eyes. Speaking of blue, today's sky was such a pretty color! The white clouds were all fluffy and bouncy-looking and stuff. And-

Focus! Anyway, I think I saw Fang shoot Iggy a glare. Ooh, I feel a love triangle coming up!

Fang's jaw clenched when he saw Iggy smirk and tighten his grip around Max. I grit my teeth, but then I stopped myself from squealing at how cute Fang is when he's jealous. I swear, I heard him growl!

They ran outside to the ambulance, and Iggy handed Max off to Fang. Fang gently laid her on the little bed-thing inside and climbed in. Iggy and I did too. The others got into Dr. M's car and followed the speeding ambulance.

The paramedics were taking Max's pulse and stuff like that. Ooh! This is just like one of those movies where the heroine gets severely injured! And-

I saw Fang tighten his grip on Max's hand. Aw! I felt Iggy grip my hand for some comfort, and I squeezed it back.

The ambulance screeched to a stop. Well, that was quick. The back doors were roughly tugged open, and Max was quickly plopped into a rolling bed. The nurses and doctors were pushing the bed faster and faster, and we ran after it. It was hard to keep up with all the traffic inside, but we did.

They pushed open the white double doors that had EMERGENCY ROOM painted on them. I knew that we had a time limit, but I wished that we didn't have to go into the ER. The doctors and a few nurses kept on moving the bed, but three of them stayed behind.

"We're very sorry, but you can't enter after this point," the one in the middle stated.

"What? Why not?" I demanded. I wanted to stay beside Max. I didn't want her to have to go through this by herself, and I could tell Iggy and Fang agreed.

The nurse avoided my questions and stared straight at the boys. "We'd by happy to stay with you, but you can't go inside. Hospital rules." The other two nodded eagerly.

Anger flared up in my eyes. Max was probably in critical condition, and these three idiots were flirting!

"I'd much appreciate it if you went to go tend to my sister," Iggy said. That's sweet of him to blow them off and all.

... Sister?!

My eyes widened at the word a few seconds after he said it. They were related? Maybe not. I mean, he just met the girl.

Fang blinked - his equivalent to being shocked. I swear, this guy needs to go buy himself a box of emotions. I heard Iggy was having a sale.

Iggy must have figured that Fang and I were confused, so he tilted his head towards me and sent an inconspicuous wink. He just had to shoot Fang a small look, and Fang automatically understood.

_Ohhhhh_. I get it. It was a cover. I guess they looked similar in some way with their blonde hair, tall-ness, and everything. If they were 'siblings' then what would I be? What about Fang?

"Oh, of course. Don't worry about her," a brunette nurse said. "The others will help her. We're here to keep you calm."

She waltzed toward Iggy, but he snaked an arm around my waist. She abruptly stopped. Then the brunette swiftly turned on her heel and went to Fang.

"Want me to comfort you, sweetie?" She purred. The _nurse_ laid a perfectly manicured hand on his chest. For a while there, I honestly thought that there would be some non-flirty professionals here. But _nooo_, because of Fang and Iggy, all their common sense flew out the window! Everywhere those two go, there's got to be _some_ girls that just _have_ flirt with them. My old "friends" did the same thing, and I ended up dumping them like trash.

Fang picked her hand up with two fingers, shoved it back to her, and crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't think so. That's my girlfriend in there, and I want you to go help her."

The brunette flushed. I guess she's never been rejected. Ha. I gasped when what Fang said repeated in my head. Girlfriend! That's it! I knew it, I just knew it!

Fang liked her.

That's completely new, considering that Fang wasn't really into girls unless they had, you know, curves in all the right places with a pretty face. Don't get me wrong. Fang always picked the ones with the pretty faces and nice figures.

They never liked me. They always thought I was the annoying little sister along with Angel and Gazzy. And Iggy was always the one that they'd try to have at the same time.

They were pretty alright. Pretty little liars.

That's just like that awesome book series! I heard they were gonna make a show for it too! That'd be epic, you know?

Back to the real world, Nudge. The nurses stepped away from us and rushed through the double doors. I looked around. They just left us standing in the middle of nowhere. Iggy tapped on my shoulder and I glanced up. His lip was curled up and his arm extended to the left, one finger jutted out.

_Waiting room to your left,_ a sign read. Oh. I tugged at Iggy and Fang's hands and led them in that direction.

The room was practically empty. The chairs were against the walls and there were magazines and books on the table in the middle of the room. We plopped down into three seats right beside each other. I leaned my head on Iggy's shoulder and sighed softly. My eyes closed.

_**.**_

"What are you doing here?"

I peeled my eyes open reluctantly. Dr. M had burst through the doors, Angel, Gazzy, and Ella in tow. They were flushed and panting. I stretched my arms forward and held back a yawn.

"They wouldn't let us in," Fang replied nonchalantly.

Dr. M asked, "Well, why not?"

"Hospital rules, they said," I bitterly answered. "Believe me, we demanded to go in."

"Why're you late, Auntie?" Iggy asked.

Ella fidgeted a little bit. "Traffic. Some idiot almost ran over me, too. We literally just got here a few minutes ago. Then, the valet parking wasn't open, so we parked somewhere down the street. The parking lot was full of cars, and we ran. I think I was lost for a little while."

Fang nodded. I noticed how we all looked. Angel was close to tears, and Gazzy wrapped a comforting arm around his little sister. Dr. M was exhausted, probably from running, and Ella was really down. I bet I looked the same. Iggy and Fang were calm and almost expressionless. That's normal for Fang, but for Iggy? Not so much.

"Is Max okay yet?" Gazzy's small voice asked. He and Angel had their big baby eyes on us. Aw, that's so cute!

"We don't know," I admitted, biting my bottom lip. "It's been about," I checked my watch, "an hour and a half. We got here a few minutes after Max collapsed, and Ig said that we had two hours tops to save her. We don't have much left."

Angel's doe eyes pooled with tears. "So," she sniffed, "what do we do now?"

Fang replied grimly, "We wait."

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**Author's Note: **So sorry for the month-long wait, guys! I'll try not to do that ever again. This time, I'm gonna try to update every now and then - hopefully every few weeks! But we'll have to see about how Fate likes to mess with my schedule. She doesn't even make appointments! Tch.

Oh! And I'm sorry that this chappie was a filler. I'm gonna bring in some action soon, promise!

Like it? Hate it? Love it? R&R!


	10. She's Back

**Author's Note: **Hiya! We're so close to 150 reviews, just 4 more! Sorry for the lateness! My mom grounded me and completely restricted me from any electronics! Slightly longer chapter for y'all just 'cuz you waited so long!

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own MR, sorry!

**P.S. **In this fanfic, Angel's 8 years old, but she's really smart. I just wanted to do a chapter in everyone's point of view for once.

**P.P.S. **I have a poll on my profile! I'd appreciate it if you guys would take some time to look at it and vote! (Don't worry. I'll only start a new fanfic when I'm done with one of my current ones.)

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**Enslaved**

**Chapter 10: She's Back**

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**ANGEL **

I stared at the wall. I sniffled and stretched my arms to touch my toes and glanced around the room with bleary eyes. We've been waiting for an hour, and now the paramedics only had about 30 minutes to save Max.

_So bored,_ I mused. _And tired. And bored. And worried. _

Nudge and Ella were holding hands, soothing and comforting each other. Fang was sitting in a corner, silently brooding. I could've sworn that I saw that corner darken and flash with lightning. Maybe it's just my imagination. Iggy was pacing back and forth while glancing at the double doors every now and then. Auntie was crouched over in a chair with her hands on her face.

Iggy suddenly paused mid-step in front of the doors.

They burst open.

* * *

**MAX **

I groaned as I shifted to my side. My insides were killing me.

"Max!"

"Is she awake?"

"Look! She's moving!"

"Shh, calm down. This is a hospital."

Slowly, I peeled open my eyes only to see blurry figures leaning over my face.

"Shuddup," I croaked. They seemed to relax. "Water," I demanded, throat sore and tired. Immediately, a glass of cool water was pushed up against my lips. I tilted my head to drink some of it.

I cleared my throat. Much better. Licking my lips, I took in everything around me.

White walls, white floors, white bed sheets, random blob of black in the corner, white bed, white window - wait. I turned my head back to where the black blob was, and I stifled a laugh when I saw Fang contrasting with everything else in the room.

"So," I motioned around the room, "where am I exactly?"

"A hospital," Ella piped up. "Remember? You collapsed. Scariest moment of my life, hands down."

Gazzy chuckled, "I get the feeling this'll happen more often."

The door suddenly opened, and my head swiftly turned to see a figure come in. A man in a white coat came in.

"How do you feel, Max?" the doctor asked.

"I'm fine. When can I get out of this room?" I asked. Hospitals and I don't mix well.

"Do you remember what happened before you collapsed?" he questioned.

"Well," I racked my brain, "I remember walking into the house. A red-haired maid handed me a glass of lemonade because I was thirsty and requested for one. I drank it all, and next thing I know, my insides are killing me. I became dizzy, my vision was blurry, and my limbs wouldn't listen to me."

Gazzy added, "I was in front of her. Her knees just locked together, and she fell forward."

Dr. Gunter-Hagen - the name on his name tag - nodded as he wrote all this information down onto his keyboard. "Hmm, interesting," he said thoughtfully.

"What is, doc?" I asked.

"It seems to me as if you've been poisoned," he said. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. _Duh_.

"We've already covered that," Iggy said gruffly. "She drank strychnine mixed into methanol and was almost overdosed."

If Dr. Gunter-Hagen was impressed, he certainly didn't show it. "And how would you know? If I may say so, you're too young to be a doctor."

Iggy narrowed his eyes. "Don't be jealous just because I figured this out before you. And if _you_ must know, I'm majoring in medical when I get to college." I bit my lip in a futile attempt to hide my snickers.

Dr. Gunter-Hagen hushed down, but I could tell that he was irritated. He obviously wouldn't snap back considering that we were paying for his _kind_ services. His ears and face flushed angrily, and his jaw clenched. Smugly, I was watching him with an amused gleam in my eyes and a small grin on my face.

"Miss Ride, you are free to go - "

"Woo-hoo!"

" - in a few days. We need to take a few medical precautions and make sure that nothing goes wrong. Also, please refrain from shouting or doing anything too vigorous. It may trigger an after-effect."

"Dang."

Nudge started to laugh at my interruption. Ella and Angel joined her in giggles. Dr. Gunter-Hagen sighed and exited the room.

Iggy looked at me with concerned eyes. "How are you really?"

"My head's killing me for one thing," I sighed. "And my muscles are sore."

"You _did_ have a weird spasm attack," Fang added. I glared at him.

**_._**

I stepped out of Dr. M's car and stretched. They finally let me out of that stupid hospital. Of course, I was sentenced to bed rest, but as long as I'm out of there, anything works with me.

Something dawned on me. "Hey," I said. Everyone turned to look at me. "What was that maid's name?"

Fang rolled his eyes. "Be specific. We have a lot of maids."

I glared at him. "What other maid would I be interested in, moron? I want the name of that redheaded one."

"Oh, her?" Angel chirped. "Her name's Lissa. I think she started working here a few weeks after Iggy, Gazzy, and I started living here."

"Oh. That's interesting. I think I'll head on up. G'night," I said as I walked towards the front door.

"But Max," I heard Ella's protest, "it's almost tea time! That's the best time of the day."

"I'll pass, thank you," I told her. "I'm tired. Waking up in the hospital after being poisoned takes a lot out of you." I marched myself up to my room but not before letting myself enter the servant's quarters - that's what the Martinez's jokingly call them.

I knocked on the door for a brief second before shoving the door open without warning. I heard a few squeaks and startled screams from inside and rolled my eyes.

"Are you girls decent?" was the first thing I said. I wasn't going to enter a room where there are half-naked girls. No, I'm just not Iggy.

One of the brunettes glared at me. It was quite a sad glare, in fact. I've seen Angel do better.

"Who do you think you are? Barging into our room like that!" she demanded.

I crossed my arms and cocked my hip, immediately going into my bad-ass position. "Who do you think _you_ are to talk to me like that? I don't know if Dr. M briefed you guys on this, but she told me that you must treat me like I'm part of the family now."

She scoffed in disbelief.

"Don't believe me? Fine. But when Miss Ella comes around after tea time to tell you guys, don't say I didn't warn you," I smirked. "Now that that's clear, I'd like to see Lissa."

Heads turned to look pointedly at the only redhead in the room. "What?" she snapped.

I pointed out the door. "Outside."

Her jaw dropped. "You can't order me around like you're the freaking queen!"

My smug smirk stretched even more. "Wanna bet?"

Lissa thought it over for a split second and began to violently shake her head. "That's okay. Outside it is then."

She was pale and clearly shaking as she headed out the door. I bit my lip to hide my laughter.

Immediately, I turned my head and snapped at the others. "What're you looking at? Hurry up and get ready for tea time." They nodded and stumbled around to get prepared.

"So," Lissa gulped. "what was it that you wanted, Miss?"

"I don't recall ever knowing you." My eyes narrowed. "Do you know something I don't?"

"No, Miss."

"Then why in the world would you try to poison me?" I knew I was intimidating her when I felt my jaw clench. I could probably even scare someone like Fang if I was angry.

"I - um - well," she stuttered.

"Speak up. I don't listen very well to those who mumble and stutter," I ordered. Hey, this was kind of fun!

"Well," she rushed. "I thought you were just a gold digger for suddenly entering our home. I mean, you're even dressed as someone who lacks money, no offense to you, Miss. But I was afraid that you had manipulated the others into thinking that you were someone very good but turned out to be someone who was only plotting to steal their fortune."

I raised my eyebrows, impressed. "That's a very thorough thought that you have there. I was only inside for a few minutes before I asked for a glass of lemonade."

"I'm very sorry," Lissa whispered. "It's just that, well, this has happened before to Master Fang. It would only hurt him more if it happened again."

"It's happened before?" I asked.

Lissa slapped her hands over her mouth and cursed. "Um - I - uh," she stumbled once again. "I said too much!" she cried before swiftly escaping my grasp.

I stood there, dumbfounded.

Clichéd movie line much?

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**Author's Note:** Haha. Lissa cracks me up in this chapter. Not so scary now, are you? Well, I was gonna keep going but then I would lose inspiration to type up another chapter. Sorry, guys. Hopefully, I'll have the next chapter for either **_Counterfeit Model_ **or _**Bad For Me**_ ready to be posted soon.

**Please vote on my poll! It's on my profile for everybody to see :)**

Like it? Hate it? Love it? R&R!


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